Fresh doubts raised over prominent Carolina Panthers' free-agent signing

Dan Morgan's roster revamp received a largely positive response among the fanbase. The Carolina Panthers were going nowhere fast under the previous regime. While the new general manager was part of that front office, it's clear he didn't think too much of the moves made by Scott Fitterer, who was fired and found work once again with the Washington Commanders as a personnel executive.

Morgan wasn't going to dramatically fix everything in one offseason. The Panthers were planning for the future and on damage limitation for the most part. Improvements might come quicker than anticipated with head coach Dave Canales leading the charge. If not, fans can relax safe in the knowledge there is a long-term strategy for sustained growth at last.

Some position groups have complications attached. Carolina's edge rushing room is one of them after Brian Burns, Frankie Luvu, and Yetur Gross-Matos departed the ranks. If the new faces don't hit the ground running, it's going to be a significant problem for defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in 2024.

Jadeveon Clowney brings prestige and high-end production to the table. Optimism is also high surrounding D.J. Wonnum, but this is not an opinion shared by everybody.

Carolina Panthers edge rusher D.J. Wonnum named as a potential bust candidate in 2024

David Kenyon from The Bleacher Report named Wonnum as Carolina's biggest bust candidate heading into the 2024 season. The analyst highlighted the Panthers' poor pressure rate last time around and not having the benefit of playing with Danielle Hunter as reasons for pessimism.

"Twice in four seasons with Minnesota, DJ Wonnum notched eight sacks. That upside looks good, but it also happened opposite Danielle Hunter. Wonnum doesn't have that luxury in Carolina, which generated the NFL's fewest pressures in 2023 and traded Brian Burns this offseason."

- David Kenyon, Bleacher Report

It's hard to know what the Panthers have in Wonnum. They think he'll be able to help, but Canales recently revealed the edge rusher suffered a setback in his recovery from a torn quad. That's not the news anybody wanted to hear, so it's a situation to watch closely as training camp unfolds.

Perhaps stepping out of Hunter's shadow will be the making of Wonnum. He's got Clowney to lean on and some huge bodies on the defensive front who can clog up space effectively. Opportunities to make plays will be there. Whether the former South Carolina star capitalizes on them is another matter.

The Panthers cannot afford Wonnum to fall flat on his face. They aren't blessed with great depth behind the two projected starting edges. If he suffers a dip in production with more attention coming his way or cannot get to 100 percent health, the defense is going to suffer.

Wonnum seems motivated to maximize this chance to thrive. He's confident in his ability and the Panthers believe this can be a good fit. That doesn't guarantee anything, but it is a strong foundation from which to build.

In an ideal world, Wonnum takes another step forward and emerges as one of the league's brightest young edge rushers. But a scenario could also emerge where he cannot make an impression and finds himself a proverbial fish out of water.

As always, the truth is somewhere in between.